Socialism in the United States

Since it's "beginning," socialism has been hated by the US. It goes against everything the system and the robber barons intended. It more hearkens back to what the Founding Fathers might have intended for the US.
What do you mean the people should be able to control and manage their workplace? The place they spend a majority of their waking hours, the place they know like the back of their hand; owners and capitalists are rarely even at their business, they're out golfing or making more capital and exploitation.

The US has so vehemently opposed it, they actually made it illegal. The laws that would allow the US government to fire, jail, imprison, and even deport suspected "communists" are still here, it's just that they haven't felt like it. Now, all this was happening during and even before WWII when we were fighting the Nazis. You could be in the Nazi party in the US, openly, while you could be executed for even being a suspected communist. That's frustrating and sickening. Our country seems to care more about something that would challenge the system and make it better over a group of violent racists.
The Smith Act was just a part of a long series of anti-communist behavior which includes McCarthyism, Red Scare, and even the recent NSPM-7 that attacks left politics and action.
The Smith Act and NSPM-7 are quite similar in the idea that they're vague pieces of legislature that the government can twist to fit whatever they want. The Smith Act would go after anyone "advocating the 'violent' overthrow of the government" and NSPM-7 will go after "anti-American, anti-Christian, extreme views on race and immigration." Two very vague things that only attack leftism.

The Issues

Anti-communism has been genetically taught to the American people. It's in our blood to get a negative feeling about it, and that's intentional. One might think it's because of the "authoritarianism," despite us not being any freer, that people are opposed to these ideas. That might be true, but, think, why is that the first thing their minds dart to? It's because that is the only part of communism or socialism that is really taught. They want people to dislike it, for the same reasons I mentioned earlier. (The CIA admits that the "dictator" thing was exaggerated.)

The US doesn't want people who question the system, who want to change things, who want to go directly agianst the mission of the bourgeois and the modern liberal democracy. That is why they only go after leftists, never right-wingers.
The US government didn't care about Malcom X when he was in the Nation of Islam, but, when he dropped it to become more radical left about black freedom (instead of just being racist) that's when the government perked its ears up. They allowed, and probably encouraged his assassination. Same with MLK, the CIA actually sent him a letter, pretending to be a self-loathing black man, that told him to end his life. Then, look to the Black Panther Party: something similar to Nation of Islam, but more radical-left. The US constantly infiltrated the org. with moles who would insight discord in the group.
All of these are examples of the US trying to take down left action that would challenge the system.

Action Plan

The mode of action for the past century has been to protest, congregate, try and pass laws and bills, and generally peaceful means of politics. But, you'll notice that nothing has really happened; Amazon is exploiting workers, American industry still exploits Chinese manufacturing, environmental protection is quickly sliding back from the '80s and '90s, and leftism is being attacked again. If you're not stupid you'll realize that peaceful and slow action does not matter when those at the top with power do not want change.
This is why nobody likes social-democracy, it allows bourgeois power to remain and control the "revolution." Stalin called social-democracy "... the moderate wing of fascism." (Concerning the International Situation, p.3) That essentially means that social-democracy is used as a front for the bourgeois power to remain in control; they do this to thwart change and revolution.

This is why many advocate for swift action against the system in a revolution. Some advocate a "vanguard party;" some advocate an international union control of the country, like a giant Congress of unions; and many other things. But, what remains consistant is that the revolution must be swift and no concessions can be given to the reactionary forces i.e Bezos, Musk, Trump, etc.
The people need to organize, plan, and put things into action. The reactionary classes will not cede their power, and the proletariat will not wait for the bourgeois to set them free when they feel like it; things must happen wether the masses feel like it or not. Those who fight in place of the reactionary, who defend the chains lain upon them, will hopefully realize that things can be better and we're not locked in by "human nature" or "greed."

This is what I see as an action plan. Power will not be ceded by the reactionary, so, we will not wait or bargain any longer; to do so would be foolish and exactly what they want.